state visit jewels – Page 14

French Visit to Denmark: Arrival at Amalienborg

08.28.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

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As summer draws to a close, we’re starting the autumn season of state visit jewels, and today, we’re kicking things off with the jewels worn for this morning’s welcome ceremony during the French state visit to Denmark.

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Personal ties between France and the Danish royal family are strong. Queen Margrethe’s late husband, Prince Henrik, came from a French family with an aristocratic background. Their children and grandchildren all carry a Danish version of his ancestral title, “Count/ess of Monpezat.” Margrethe also owns the Chateau de Cayx, the estate in France’s Cahors wine region that she purchased with Henrik in the 1970s. And the family links to France have also extended to the next generation: Margrethe and Henrik’s younger son, Prince Joachim, married a Frenchwoman, Marie Cavallier, in 2008.

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To welcome President and Mrs. Macron to Amalienborg Palace, Margrethe reached for pearls and pieces from her extensive collection of turquoise jewelry.

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The turquoises selected provide links to both her royal heritage and her marriage to Henrik. The mirrored turquoise and diamond brooch comes from the collection of her British-born grandmother, Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden. The modern gold and turquoise earrings, which can also be worn with large pendants, were made by Torben Hardenberg; they were a 60th birthday gift to Margrethe from Henrik.

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Crown Princess Mary and Brigitte Macron wore the same vivid shade of cherry red for the official welcome ceremonies.

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Mary accessorized with her jacket-style diamond floral earrings from the Frost collection by Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen, coincidentally worn in France earlier this year, and a coordinating floral brooch.

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Princess Marie arrived wearing the same lovely shade of cerise, accessorized with a pair of earrings set with rubies and featuring a pearl cluster and drop dangle.

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Princess Benedikte followed in her sister’s lead, wearing floral earrings, a double strand of pearls, and a brooch and ring set with turquoises.

Stay tuned later today for coverage of the jewels worn to tonight’s state banquet!

State Visit Jewels: The Stuart Tiara Reappears!

05.24.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are in Luxembourg for a state visit this week, and Maxima took the opportunity to debut a highly-anticipated jewel: the magnificent Stuart Tiara!

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The tiara itself was slightly less magnificent than it’s been in past appearances. It’s been reworked significantly since we last saw the piece — which was during Queen Juliana’s reign. Here’s a look at her version of the tiara, worn here for her birthday celebrations in 1962. The tiara has been in the family since 1897; it was worn in 1898 for the first time by Queen Wilhelmina at her investiture. The Stuart Diamond itself has a much longer royal history.

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But you’ll notice that there’s something very important missing from the tiara on this occasion. Maxima wore a lower-profile version of the sparkler — most notably, the Stuart Diamond itself was not worn at all! It has been removed from the piece on this occasion, along with part of the central element that supported it. (Queen Wilhelmina also wore a smaller, Stuart-less version of the tiara for her wedding in 1901 — this may be that setting.) The result, to my mind, is a much more wearable and balanced tiara, still incredibly sparkly and elaborate but less imposing.

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The large round diamonds that used to sit atop the tiara on either side of the Stuart have also been removed. They’ve been repurposed as an enormous pair of diamond cluster earrings, which Maxima also wore tonight.

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Here’s a closer view of the new version of the tiara. It does feel a little strange to call this “the Stuart Tiara” when the diamond is missing. (The Stuart-less Stuart?) I hope we see Maxima wear the diamond itself again soon — perhaps as a pendant on a necklace or a brooch.

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Speaking of brooches, Maxima did also wear part of the large bow brooch from the Stuart Parure tonight. She wisely left off the necklace, which she debuted last year.

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But she did wear diamonds on each wrist, including the diamond bracelet with her family’s initials.

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The grand ducal family were the hosts of the evening, and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa sparkled in the classic Belgian Scroll Tiara, pairing it with her modern pair of diamond earrings with gray pearl drops.

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Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie was also in attendance, wearing the family’s Chaumet Choker Tiara without its pearl toppers, plus one of the family’s diamond and sapphire necklaces and diamond and sapphire earrings.

Another Tiara Debut for Queen Letizia!

04.16.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

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We’ve got a delightful tiara surprise on this Monday afternoon, magpies: Queen Letizia of Spain has worn a new-to-her tiara!

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For a state dinner in honor of the President of Portugal, Letizia wore Queen Ena’s Pearl and Diamond Tiara with the diamond earrings from the joyas de pasar collection. The tiara, made by Cartier in the 1920s, was a remodeling of a wedding gift presented to Queen Ena of Spain in 1906 by her mother-in-law, Queen Maria Cristina. (Read all about the tiara’s history — and see a close-up image! — in our previous post on the sparkler here.)

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The tiara was most recently worn by Letizia’s mother-in-law, Queen Sofia. If you’ve been following general royal news, you may have heard about a public disagreement between the two women on Easter Sunday. Since then, the Spanish royals have taken major steps, including joint appearances, to assure us all that the two women are getting along just fine.

You’ll note in this image that the tiara’s base is still wrapped in gray velvet to match Queen Sofia’s hair. Perhaps this tiara loan was another step on the part of the royal family to ensure everyone that there’s no rift between the two queens, and there was not sufficient time to rewrap the base?

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Here’s a profile view of the tiara, emphasizing the length of the sides of the piece.

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Letizia also wore the star and red sash of the Portuguese Order of Christ.

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Letizia’s pearl-studded navy blue gown was a dramatic choice for the event, but unfortunately it caused a quick mishap when the neck of the gown came unfastened during the toasts. It seems the problem was swiftly rectified.

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Here’s a view of Letizia’s entire ensemble for the evening. What do you think of her first outing in the new sparkler?